Device for stretching wires and cables.



J. s. CLARKE. DEVICE FOR STRETGHING WIRES AND GABLES. APPLICATION FILEDJULY 15, 1912. RENEWED SEPT. 29, 1913.

1,094,979. Patented Apr. 28, 1914,

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' lnverrro p Z a R JOHN S. CLARKE.

3/ BY FWW J. S. CLARKE. DEVICE FOR STRETCHING WIRES AND CABLES.APPLICATION FILED JULY 15, 1912. RENEWED SEPT. 29, 1913.

v 1,094,979, Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

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INVEHTOR BY 'JOHN S. CLARKE A TYS' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

JOHN s. cLAnnn or use CLEVELAND, onto, assrenon or ONE-HALF TO 1:. n.

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DEVICE FOR STRETCHING WIRES AND CABLES.

Application filed-July 15, 1912, serial No. 709,608.

To all whom alt may concern Be it known that I, JOHN S. CLARKE, citizenof the United States, residin at East Cleveland, in the county of Cuyaog'a and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Devices .for Stretching Wires and Cables, of which thefollowing is a specification.

- This invention relates to devices for stretching wires and cables, allsubstantially as shown and described and particularly pointed out in theclaims.

tension gears g and g, a suitable housin or casing c in wlnch said warsare mount on In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view ofthe device, and Fig-2 a side elevation thereof shown as engaged upon apole or shaft. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of two tension gear wheelsmounted within the casing as seen in dotted linesFig. 2, and Fig. 4 isan edge view of said whee-ls shown in mesh. Fig. 5 is a sectionalelevation of the said gear wheels and casingthere for. Fig. 6 is asectional plan of Fig. 5 on the axes of the gear wheels. Fi 7 is a sideelevation of a modification s owing a casing adapted to be connectedwith the (pole or post by cable of rope or wire instea of chain. I

The device as'thus shown contemplates the stretching of heavy guy wires,cables and the like in structural and other work in which the weight ofthe wire or cable alone is often a diificult problem to deal with andthere is consequent difficulty in getting the same stretched to therequired tension and with all the slack taken up.

This invention therefore conslsts of a tightening mechanism for cablesand the like having power appliances which are'efi'ectually controlledthrough a hand crank or its 1 equivalent and which comprises a set ofshafts 2 and 3 respectlvely, and meansto adjust the gears in relation toeach other ac cording to the size of the tension cable, wire or the likethat is to pass between them for stretching purposes. For the purposesof such adjustment I provide the shaft 3 with an eccentric portion 4rotatable in the wheel 9' by means of handle or lever'l, which isadapted by rotationto move said wheel g,

nearer to or farther from the wheel 7 but which always leaves their gearteeth 7 and 8 in mesh more or less. It is to be especiallyspeciflcationof Letters Patent.

v Patented A r.'2s, 1'914. Renewed September as. 1913. Serial Io.792,484. g

verse ribs or corrugations 10 in the .bottom of its annular groove 5at;suitable intervals apart and adapted to cooperate with the said ribs8 in gripping the rope or cable 11 and holding t the main cable upon itsown fixed support.

To these ends also the'housing or casing c is anchored-by chain 13- tothe said supporter pole 14; through hooks 15 on said casing, and theshaft 2 of gear 9 has a square shankw adapted to be engaged by asuitable hand crank, not shown.

7 In operation the tension wire b is introduced throughthe upper openingit in the edge ,of the casing, and passing thence around the wheel 9along the correspondingly curved interior of the CB-SlHgIS deflectedupward at the V-shaped deflector 17 between the two wheels and engagedas seen in Fig. 5 and out at the hole or opening h. Finally, havingstretched the cable a as 1 much as desired it is secured to the ole or ipost 14 after the manner shown in Bige'l and 2 or-by equivalent means.As shown the said main cable, wire or. rope a is passed through a clamp18 above the casing c and thence between the horns of the guide or yoke20 with two or more windings about I post 14 and then back throu b saidguide with the free end inserted in c amp 18. The said clamp is thentightened thereon and the 5 cable ais thus secured and the entirestretching device including the short tension cable i observed thatthese wheels are peculiar in l b can then be removedand employed elseesame against sli ping when e c 0 I a i is pecullar in'that 1t has aseries of transclamp 18 is supposed to be constructed in 'the casing tothe pole or post 14.

such way as to effectually grip and hold the said wire or cable aregardless of the strain thereon and the said clamp becomes a fixed partfor the cable'. v 1 v By means of the yoke 20 with its comparativelyclose horns the cable or wire a is brought together where it approachesthe clamp 18 and enables the cable to be engaged within the clamp withcomparative ease,.whereas without'such means the said cable or wire,especially if fairly heavy and stiff was found diflicult to cramp andbring within said clamp. The said yoke is detachab'ly fixed on the topof casing 12 b an suitable means,.and is also longitudinally adjustablethereon.

Practically both constructions of the said 'gears'in their engagingportions 9 and 10 contribute to the complete gripping of the tensioncableb, and the proximity of the said gears is designed to be such as torender their hold upon the said cable thoroughly efl'ective betweenthem. Such proximity depends uponthe size of thecable, cord or wireused, and. the wheel 9 is adjustable in respect to wheel 9 by means ofthe cam shaft 3 and lever l as hereinbefore described.

In Fig. 7 I show a wire or rope 21 instead of achain as in Figs. land 2for securing It will be understood that the tightening device shown anddescribed herein can be used for stretching guy ropes, wires forelectric lights, telegraph and telephone poles, as well as forwires,-cables or the like for hoists and smoke stacks.

It will be noticed that the intervening division wall 24 opposite thesmaller wheel 9 extends back near to the larger Wheel and serves as aguide for the cable or wire both asit is introduced through hole h andas it approaches the hole or opening 72. after passing the smaller'wheel, the projecting end 17 above serving to deflect the cabledownward between the wheels as above described,

. o What I claim is:

1. A device for stretching wires and the like comprising a suitablecasing and two intermeshing gears of different sizes mounted on suitableshafts therein and constructed on their peripheries to grip a wirebetween them, and an eccentric bearing for one of said gears adapted togovern the position thereof in respect'to the other gear.

.2. A device as described having a casing and intermeshing gears ofdifferent sizes therein having grooves in their peripheries andconstructed in said grooves to grip a cable or wire between them, saidcasing'having a guideway for the wire leading around the larger of saidgears and back and out over the smaller gear, a pawl to engage one ofsaid gears and prevent backward rotation, and shafts carrying saidgears, one of which 1s constructed to engage a crank therewith to rotatethe same.

3. A casing as described and a pair of intermeshing wheels of differentsizes therein, one of said wheels having a shank extending to theoutsideof said casing adapted to rotate the same, and said casing having.two different openings in its edge into the interior about said wheelsand a division wall between said holes extending past the smaller wheelto the larger one and forming part of a curved ide way for a cable.

Intestimon w ereof I aflix my signature in presence 0 two witnesses.

' JOHN s. CLARKE.

- Witnesses H. T. FISHER, F. 0. Museum.

